Sudan’s Bashir congratulates U.S. President-elect Trump, as adviser vows to not lift sanctions

November 9, 2016 (KHARTOUM/WASHINGTON) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir Wednesday has congratulated newly-elected US President Donald Trump upon his election as the next U.S. president, as a Trump adviser pledged to not lift sanction on the east African country.

"I am pleased to extend to Your Excellency in my name and on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Sudan warmest and most sincere congratulations on your election as President of the United States of America," said he in a message to the elected president.

Al-Bashir further expressed his best wishes to Trump adding "looking forward to work with you to upgrade relations between our two friendly countries."

Sudan has been under US economic sanctions since 1997 and remains on the US blacklist of state sponsors of terror since 1993. After 2003 sanctions were twice tightened over the conflict in the Darfur region and human rights violations in other parts of the country.

Trup didn’t speak about Sudan during his election campaign. However one of his foreign policy advisers, Walid Phares, vowed to support the struggle of Sudanese people for freedom.

In a telephone call to American-Sudanese from the Nuba Mountains area South Kordofan two days before the elections, Phares regretted that the issue of Sudan "has been marginalized" by Obama’s Administration during his two terms.

He further vowed that if Trump is elected his administration in the first 100 days would appeal to the international community to start putting a policy that would address and stop the "drama" of Sudan and South Kordofan particularly.

The adviser who is of Lebanese-Maronite origins further said they would work with the war crimes tribunal, the International Criminal Court (ICC), to implement its decisions on Sudan, before to say they would not lift the economic embargo.

"There is no reason for why we and our European allies lifting the sanctions, this is unacceptable. Lifting the sanctions on Bashir’s regime is not acceptable," Phares emphasised.

Further he went to pledge to provide the necessary support for the Nuba people to decide for their future and pointed to the case of Kurd in Syria and Irak.

’’We will give you the ability first of all to not be suppressed and second of all to get the freedom for decide for yourself," he said before to conclude by appealing the Nuba community in the United States to vote for Trump.

Last October, President Barak Obama extended Sudan’s sanction for another year saying that The actions and policies of the Sudanese government continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States".

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour Wednesday said he do not expect major change in the U.S. policy towards Sudan.

Nonetheless, Ghandour stressed that Sudan would continue to engage in dialogue with the United States until it reaches understandings to normalize bilateral relations.

He further expressed hopes that the new U.S administration leadership "remember that there is a country that has been under sanctions since more than twenty years without any guilt. And (these sanctions) have affected the Sudanese people and the vulnerable in particular."

(ST)

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Kind regards,

The Sudan Tribune editorial team.

10 November 2016 14:46, by Uglami

Mr President it is good to welcome your fellow president into democratic power but am fearing should turn against your regime because will be against dictatorships like you.

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